Batty about bats!

This was another week full of exciting opportunities where the girls could learn.  Chad was home two days this week and we loved it!  It was hard with him gone for 7 days straight.  It was nice for the girls and I to spend time with him.  We miss him a lot.

Mackenzie is learning to tell time.  We made a huge clock with moving hands for her to practice.  She pretty much has it down!  Lorel is starting to read.  She is learning how to blend letter sounds.  She gets better everyday!  The girls made a clothes line
with paper shirts and pants that sequenced
the events in a book we read.

 We studied about bats all week.  They are very interesting little creatures that are very useful to us. The girls had fun learning about them by reading books about them, playing online bat games, making a bat lapbook, and making a bat out of egg cartons and newspaper.

During one of the days Chad was home we went to Carlsbad, New Mexico.  It is about an hour away from us.  We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.  We also went to Carlsbad Caverns.

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens was one of the coolest places we have ever been!  We followed a dirt trail for about a mile and a half.  The trail was surrounded by natural desert with cacti, desert plants, and little lizards.  Throughout the trail they built animal enclosures.  We saw many desert animals including snakes, elk, prairie dogs, and eagles.  We learned a lot about the desert.  At the end of our trail hike the girls each picked out their own live baby cactus to buy and bring home from the gift shop!

Carlsbad Caverns was an awesome sight.  The visitor center for the caverns are at the top of hills.  In order to get up there we had to take a beautiful scenic drive up and through the hills that were covered with desert plants.  It was so pretty.  We decided to go just to watch the bat flight program which starts at dusk.  They do have caverns to explore but we decided that we will come back to go through those another day.  We made our hike to the bat amphitheater.  It was made of stone and sits right in front of the huge cave opening where the bats live.   Before the bat flight started we had a park ranger talk to us about bats for about a half an hour before the bats came out.  He was very intelligent, entertaining, and we could tell he had a passion for nature.  Then the bats started to pour out  of the cave right as night fell.  It was incredible!  There are about 300,000-500,000 bats living in the cave.  But they didn't all come out at once.  They came out about 100 at a time.  It takes about 1-3 hours for all of the bats to completely empty the cave.  We sat, watched, and listened to the bats for about 30 minutes.  It was so worth the trip.  The girls really want to go back so we will probably do so!  It was an amazing day! OH and cameras were not allowed in the bat amphitheater so that is why you see no pictures of the bat flight.  I guess the frequencies and the flash of a camera negatively effect the bat flight.

  One day Mackenzie asked me to teach her how to do laundry.  What a better life skill to teach than laundry?  So I taught her and helped her the first few times to just be there if she had questions.  Now she completely does laundry on her own.  She sorts the clothes, adds the soap, starts the washer, adds the clothes and fabric softener, and she even does the dryer!  I am quite impressed with her!  She is only 7 and is already doing laundry.  Now we will see how long it lasts! : )

I am so proud of my two girls and how much they have learned these past two weeks.  They are my angels and I couldn't imagine life without them!

Our first week of homeschooling

We have officially completed our first week of homeschooling.  It has been a journey so far.  I started out simple this week to get into the groove of learning at home.  I have come to a conclusion that children are always learning whether it be while walking through the grocery store, driving in the car, playing at the park, or just being at home.  I think that children learn the most just by watching, listening, and "doing" so I figure I will give the girls a lot of opportunities to just do these things.  We will do many activities to stimulate the girls while learning in their own way and at their own pace (lots of hands on).     

I have debated about whether I have made the right decision to keep the girls at home.  After reading many books about homeschooling, skimming the internet, and listening to my heart I now know that I have made a great decision.  I really feel that I will be able to give the girls a great education without having to worry about their safety and how they will be treated by other children.  Who knows they may even get a better education through me than they may get out of public school.

This week we have been reading A LOT!  Both of the girls love to read.  We have done addition facts using manipulatives.  We wrote in our journals everyday.  The girls made an All About Me lapbook which contains things like their family tree, what makes them happy/sad/curious/mad, their pictures, their best day ever, etc.  The girls created parking garages for their toy cars with blocks.  We took our first field trip to a state park.  This was probably the experience where the girls learned the most.  We fed ducks, ate a picnic under a weeping willow tree, looked at fish from a bridge, painted a nature scene, examined a cactus, and even got chased by a grumpy goose who was protecting his mate!  LOL!  The girls loved it!  We have kept very busy!   

 I know that our schedule isn't perfect yet and we will have our ups and downs.  We are still trying to figure out what is best for us.  Each girl learns differently.  It may take a couple of weeks to figure out what works.  I am excited for a year full of learning!  I am glad that we get this opportunity!